Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why do Christopher and Obi eat with their fingers while at Obi's house?(a) The houseboy insists that this is the way to eat the food he cooks. (b) They do not care what they do at home even though elsewhere they observe customs. (c) They find it tastes better and throw off the pretense that it is uncivilized. (d) It makes them feel they are really back home.

2. What makes Obi go to a slum in Lagos when he returns from England?(a) For a job interview. (b) His girlfriend, Clara, has a dressmaker there. (c) To visit his friend Christopher. (d) To see his uncle Okolo.

3. As the celebration continues, how does the author use an argument about kola nuts to reveal the clash between Christian beliefs and folklore?(a) Ibo refuses to partake in the superstitious practices involving kola nuts. (b) Isaac declares that although kola nuts are eaten in his Christian house, they are not sacrificed to idols. (c) Isaac refuses to partake in the breaking of Kola nuts on Ibo's head. (d) Isaac objects when the elders want to sprinkle kola nut oil in the house.

4. What happens when Clara and Obi return and MacMillan leaves them after going ashore to Funchal?(a) They make plans to continue their relationship. (b) They deide to leave things as they are and "see what happens" in Lagos. (c) Obi declares his love and kisses Clara, who responds with a violent kiss. (d) They decide not to see each other again because Clara is betrothed.

5. How does Obi view the luxurious residential area originally meant for Europeans but later occupied by the trickle of Africans who get European posts?(a) He thinks it will be good to live there when he gets his "European post." (b) He wants Clara to be happy when they marry and go there to live. (c) He thinks it is necessary to live there to show that he has accomplished something. (d) It makes Obi think of the twin kernels in palm-nuts: one shiny, black, and alive, and the other powdery, white, and dead.

Short Answer Questions

1. By using the expression "Augean stable", what literary device is the author using?

2. What does Obi do while awaiting the results of his interview?

3. What is special about Obi's arrival in Onitsha, a few miles from his village?

4. Where does Obi take Clara to celebrate his new car?

5. What early indication does Obi see how "Dear old Nigeria really works" as the boat docks in Lagos?

Short Essay Questions

1. What complaints does Obi make about an encounter with the police after buying the ring and returning home to Joseph?

2. What causes Obi to storm out of the December UPU meeting in a rage?

3. Before going to England, Obi spends time in Lagos with Joseph Okeke. Who is Joseph and how is he connected with Obi?

4. What warning does the Rev. Samuel Ikedi give to Obi On the occasion of the banquet that Obi's father Isaac hold for him before he goes to study in England,?

5. What is the meaning of Obi's full name and why did his father give him this name?

6. What happens at Obi's job interview with the Public Service Commission?

7. How welcoming is Mr. Green when Obi is introduced on his first day at work in the civil service?

8. What event foreshadows Obi's experiences with bribery when the boat bringing Clara and Obi back from England docks at Lagos?

9. What contact has there been between Clara and Obi before being together in the Lagos slum where Clara has a dressmaker?

10. How does Obi first disappoint the Umuofian progressive Union and the poor Umuofians who tax themselves heavily to send Obi to England to become a lawyer?